Dancing With Myself
by Midnight-Mandala
Summary: AU, Gender swap. Hanamura has a lot to deal with, between her own insecurities and the upcoming move out of the city-Not to mention that beautiful silver-haired goddess who has her questioning herself from the moment she meets her in a local arcade.
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't like she normally frequented the place or anything.

She was a nobody, a nothing in this expansive, lonely city-Walking outside to know that _no one has a clue who you are _meant confining herself to a life of solitude locked in her room most of the time. She doesn't bother with friends-Not really, anyway, because you can't call those people who would never come help her out of serious jams-not even to come _help her study because what the fuck is math_-friends.

Today is a fluke, if anything, and if her gaming systems weren't packed up in boxes, ready to be shipped off in the upcoming week to _god knows _in the middle of _ass fuck nowhere_, she would never risk the feeling of debilitating loneliness to travel out on her crummy bike to the local arcade.

However, she needs her Guilty Gear fix, and that's enough to break her unwritten code of norms.

She doesn't know the beautiful head of long silver hair rocking the DDR machine in the midst of game machine labyrinths, flashing lights, and 8-bit music-just that her hips and legs and _entire being _are rocking out to one of Reincarnation's fast beat hits, something about reaching for the truth, Hanamura doesn't really know-But the body becoming one with the badly enunciated English and fast beats is enough to send sparks up and down her spine, and for once in her life, she's forgotten her Guilty Gear addiction, if such a thing is possible.

Tentatively, as if afraid to scare off some incredible, graceful, once-in-a-lifetime deity of nature back into the brush of obscurity, she makes her way around the DDR machine to see the face of this dancing goddess. She's dressed plainly-the type who tends to blend into a crowd because she prefers to observe humanity from the outside. However, despite the black slacks and white button up, and a grey-green jacket folded carefully over the rail of the machine, Hanamura finds her intoxicating. Her posture (all broad shoulders and few curves with only a hint of femininity in the way her shirt curves outward at the chest) pulls back into perfect confidence. She is someone who does not need to demand respect-her posture does it for her. The only real feminity to her body is in her hips, which, Hanamura realizes, are what drew her to that dancing frame in the first place-The way they move, sway, swing, rock-Hanamura Yoko realizes too late that her breath is caught high up in her throat, and part of her tells her that she's in love.

She's happy she's not a man, if only for this moment-because that, coupled with the way her cheeks are ablaze and how she can't stop tugging at the ends of her pleated skirt would be a true recipe for disaster and embarrassment.

Hanamura realizes after much fidgeting and checking out this goddess that a pair of intense silver eyes keep flickering between her and the screen, not distracted long enough, however, to miss any of the rapid fire arrows that dictate her movements like orders. (Hanamura thinks briefly that this is the only time this girl takes orders-She's too dominating, and that thought dries her throat quickly, and, fuck, _when did she start checking girls out anyway? She was straight, damn it!)_

"-quarter on the dash." Hanamura's head snaps up to those intense eyes, half-lidded by silver bangs that sweep over her forehead, going back into a loose ponytail that makes the woman (_not a girl, no-Hanamura is a girl, all subtle, soft curves and immaturity. This person, no matter how young, is clearly a woman_) seem like a warrior, windswept and ready for battle. Her words go right over Hanamura's clouded head.

"H-Huh?" Yoko asks stupidly, because it's all she can manage. _Eloquent. So fucking eloquent, all the time, aren't you? _she bites inwardly, wishing she could, for once, talk to people in a way that didn't make her look like a moron.

"If you want the next game, put a quarter on the dash." the silverette repeats, a slight huff to her voice borne entirely of the fact that she's clearly been at this game for some time, and not in the least from irritation at being interrupted. Seeing a lack of understanding in her features-Yoko is clearly a case of 'all lights are on but no one is home'-The silverette glances over again and feels the need to elaborate. "That's how it works around here-You need to call the game."

"O-oh, I-" Yoko clears her throat and shakes her head. "I-I'm not-" Her eyes fix on those hips again, mesmerizing like a hypnotist's pendulum swinging back and forth to the beat, and her mind goes blank. But then she brings it back with a sudden kick and shakes her head. "I'm not-I mean, I don't want to-I'm just looking!" she insists, face suddenly lighting up again because _god who the fuck does that? _and the silverette is now all raised eyebrows and curiosity because she's clearly being checked out by some little strawberry-brunette high school kid who looks more like a little boy playing dress up in cream-colored sweater vests, pleated skirts, and thigh-high socks. Yoko shakes her head, feeling even more dorky than when she walked in. "I-I'm not a lesbian, though, I swear!"

This strikes a chord in the silverette, who starts and misses a few beats, thrown off as she tries to pick the flow of the song back up. It works eventually, but by then her perfect score is marred by a handful of misses. "Is...Is that so..." she mumbles, face unreadable, and Yoko feels an ashamed blush turning her face the color of those tomatoes her mom always packs for her that she flicks off the side of the roof alone at lunchtime.

"I-I'm sorry, that-That came out-" She shakes her head, and feels it might be better to leave before she makes a bigger fool of herself.

So she does, fleeing to the comfort of one of the Guilty Gear systems, drowning her embarrassment in kicking ass as Chip. The silverette doesn't object-Doesn't go after her; she just keeps playing her game, likely glad to be rid of someone so _obnoxious._

When Yoko takes a tentative glance back towards the DDR machine a few minutes later, the dancing silverette is gone, and she feels like an idiot.

Some people have called her way of thinking homophobic in the past, and for a teen in a media-driven society, that, unfortunately, isn't unusual. However, the encounter with the silverette has gotten Hanamura thinking, and as she lays in her bed that night, her eyebrows are furrowed as she replays every second of the encounter repeatedly in her head, face flushing every time she remembers _how much of an idiot _she is.

She tries to visualize a scenario where she does not come off looking completely silly fawning over the silverette, and, more so, does not come off as a homophobic bitch.

There aren't many scenarios she comes across that work out like she would want them to, however.

It comes to the point where she's laying in bed, getting herself emotional _and over a girl you will likely never meet again_, she reminds herself. But she can't help it; she wants to see that girl again. Maybe it's her intense desire for friendship speaking, but she isn't sure.

She just knows she wish she could take it back.

Yoko finds herself out and about the next day, riding the bus around just for the heck of it. Her parents are still packing, and with her talent to laze around wherever it is her parents seem to plan to clean next, it didn't take long for them to 'shoo' her from the house. She certainly had no patience or energy for her bike, either-Not after yesterday. _Bus it is, then_, she had told herself.

So she rides for hours, face against the window, simply staring at a passing city that might as well be dead to her now-She's not going to see it after this week, not for a long time, if ever. The countryside will be her prison now, and that anonymity that currently leaves her friendless and lonely will be gone, replaced with being known by everyone and their grandparents.

She doesn't know whether to be happy or afraid.

The bus ride bores her fast, and these conflicting thoughts of her family's upcoming move for the sake of her father's job are making her nauseous. As soon as she recognizes part of town, she gets off, looks around, regains her bearings, and lets her stomach settle.

Yoko soon determines where she is, and begins to walk. When she passes the arcade, watching her with judging eyes after yesterday's incident from across the street, she shifts nervously as she wonders whether to go in or not.

Finally, the brunette crosses the street, says 'screw it' to all the jaywalking laws because she's already unhappy and doesn't feel like dealing with traffic and crosswalks. She enters timidly, pushing the door open like someone who has no right to be there, and immediately realizes the silverette is back, doing the exact same thing as yesterday. For a moment, Yoko has to check her phone (an orange razor with a cute frog charm she lovingly dubbed Jiraiya long ago) to make sure she hasn't cursed herself to some creepy Groundhog Day loop. It's the following day, so Yoko comes to the conclusion that she has not, in fact, cursed herself in her own stupidity. The silverette is back, and Hanamura feels her chest tighten.

At first, Yoko determines to leave the girl alone, not make a bigger fool of herself. She goes back to Guilty Gear, tries to forget the silver-haired girl playing DDR (_today_ _she's wearing a turtleneck and _god_ does she look gorgeous in it_); however, she can only concentrate so much on kicking Bridget's ass before her eyes are flickering between the game and the DDR machine.

When it's gone a full minute between the Game Over screen and Yoko's realization, she steps back from the machine and tries to gather her nerves; her small fists tighten at her sides, and she tries to look bold as she walks up to the machine.

The silverette notices immediately; her eyes flicker between Yoko and the game, and she does a quick double-take in surprise-she clearly did not expect the girl to come back. Other than that, however, she makes no motion of knowing her-and by that, Yoko interprets, she doesn't seem offended, which Yoko fully expected.

"Hello again." the woman on the DDR machine comments, and Yoko doesn't know how to react-She only thought as far as walking over.

"H-hey, um..." Hanamura rubs the back of her head, cheeks becoming hot against her will, and she chews on the inside of her lip. "Um-I-about yesterday-" She realizes the song has stopped, and the woman has stopped, leaning against the railing, sipping from a water bottle as she catches her breath. Her hair is a little dark, sticking down against her pale, lean face from a slight dampness of playing for so long. Yoko finds it mildly attractive, in a weird way, and finds herself struggling to find words again. However, the silverette's eyes are calm, and Yoko sees no judgment in them-For that she's grateful. "I, uh. I didn't mean to. Y'know, sound so stupid the other day-I mean, I kinda sounded like a bitch, and-"

"It's OK."

"-and like I didn't mean to sound _homophobic_ and-"

"It's OK, really-"

"-and I kind of have this tendency to stick my foot in my mou-What?" Now Yoko is staring at the silverette, whose pretty pale lips (_pale like everything about her and it's _beautiful _damn it_) are quirked upwards in amusement. Yoko really didn't imagine it to be this easy; thought that- "But-But you left yesterday, after I..." The silver-hair stops for a moment, eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly as she thinks, but Yoko can hardly tell with her fringe coming over her eyes. Then her eyebrows smooth out, face softening, and she nods.

"Oh, that." she comments, and steps down for the next person who has approached to play some DDR. Yoko cocks her head slightly, inviting her to speak, relieved as part of her tells her _it's not your fault, thank goodness. _"I live near here, and after a long day of DDR I always like to get my favorite brand of milk coffee. But they don't sell it near her." she explains calmly, looking almost sympathetic for causing Yoko stress and worry. Her voice is soft, melodic-almost like she doesn't use it much, and to Yoko, that makes it even better to hear it, because she feels special _just talking_ to this girl.

"Ohhhh, I getcha. So by the time you hop a train and back for your coffee, it's late, huh?" Yoko snaps her fingers, grinning a bit and giving an understanding wink. The silverette smiles, (_god is she breathtaking, too; her smile is perfect_; Yoko is really beginning to question herself over this girl) and nods in confirmation. She then checks her watch-stainless steel hanging loosely around her thin wrist-and nods to herself; it's time to go, Yoko realizes. Her heart jumps into her throat.

"H-hey, uh-" Yoko puts a hand on the girl's shoulder as she turns to grab her coat; she stops, glancing over at her. Hanamura gets the feeling her eyebrow is quirked in inquiry. "If-If you're going-For your coffee or whatever-Um. Mind if I...?" Yoko trails off, wincing in and outwardly at the level stare she's getting, completely expecting to get told off and rejected.

"Sure." the silverette comments; she grabs her coat and starts walking, and Yoko does a small dance of grins and small flails as she hurries after.

Her inner voice can't help screaming with excitement.


	2. Chapter 2

_MM: Little author's note before I continue on-Thanks for the encouragement thus far, you guys! : ) I really appreciate the kind comments I've gotten so far, and I hope to not disappoint! Hopefully I'll really get back into the swing of writing to get the last bits of awkward out of my style. It's been a while since I've really written anything, haha. To thank you guys for the support, I also drew you guys some genderbent-edited sprites as a present- Sou, Yoko, adachi, and Dojima. I'll probably be doing more for the others set to appear just because it's a lot of fun. I hope you guys enjoy! .  
_

i18 . photobucket . com / albums / b111 / zena1293 / gssou . png

oOoOoOo

The grey-blue Tokyo skyline had taken on a gentle blush of light pink by the time they sat down for milk coffee together-Like the artist had decided the blues simply didn't fit his mood by that point and had sprayed on a watered-down coat of cotton candy. That was, at least, how Yoko felt, all jittery and excited with the joy of meeting a new person-that feeling of joy so easy to mistake for romance; so poignant that she has no idea how she ever lived without it.

The silverette - Seta Sou, as she introduces herself-speaks just as little as she did when distracted by authoritative arrows, which should surprise Yoko, but does not. The steely calm exterior Sou puts up seems very natural-the sort of practiced comfort with acting in such a way that comes from frequency. Yoko gets the odd feeling that Sou either does not talk much or-and the thought furrows her eyebrows; makes an inexplicable knot in her stomach for reasons she does not yet understand-does not _get_ to talk to people much.

However, Yoko brushes that train of thought aside quickly-_I'm not anyone to make prejudgments about people; if Seta-chan_ _did that about me, oh man...I definitely would _not_ be hanging out with her right now!_

Instead, she buys herself a milk coffee of the same brand, one she hasn't tried yet, let alone really seen around (she guesses that's why Seta needs to travel to get it) and sits down across from Sou with her coffee. As if enjoying the same drink together that Sou obviously holds a fondness for brings them closer together somehow-like some unspoken bond of understanding.

But then Yoko takes a sip of it-and immediately cringes. It's bitter as _all holy fuck _for _milk coffee. _Sou seems to take note of this reaction to her drink of choice, and instead of acting insulted, she smiles faintly and takes a sip herself, as if she expected it.

"It's not the kind of milk coffee most people like." she tells Yoko quietly, and as Sou watches the brunette try to perhaps let the air cleanse her palette by sticking her tongue out with a wrinkled nose and look of _why did I _DO _that, _she seems to quietly laugh behind a closed fist. Yoko makes an amused face and grins, winking.

"Yeah, haha, kind of noticed that! I mean, it's not _bad, _but if you're expecting _milk coffee..._" Yoko shakes her head and giggles. "Well, your tongue can't really prepare itself for _that._"

"I know what you mean." Sou nods quietly. "But it's...The sort of taste you can get used to. Not as sweet as the normal stuff you can buy anywhere...But that's kind of the joy of it." Yoko furrows her eyebrows and cocks her head. Waves a hand in a manner that says _you've lost me - Elab, please, por favor_. Sou chuckles a bit at that-_YES, someone who finds me amusing! _Yoko thinks gleefully; she's not used to that. Sou glances up thoughtfully, considering her words carefully-then elaborates: "It's like...Milk coffee is good. But if it's always the same sweet blend, won't you grow bored of always drinking it? Milk coffee...Becomes a chore to drink, because you find the same kind everywhere, never changing. But somewhere, out in the middle of nowhere...There's one that's _different_." She looks at Yoko at this point, right in the eye, and Yoko's face heats up as she's stared into by those silver eyes; Yoko feels like every part of her is on full display. It's both intimate and intimidating, Yoko notes, chewing on the inside of her lip. But if Sou notices this, she doesn't mention it-Just continues. "It's like a diamond in the rough. And you can't help but fall in love with it-Come to crave it, even. _Because _it's different."

Yoko thinks about this for a while, turning the bottle in her hands and idly watching the brown liquid slosh around. Considering the words, Yoko feels, somewhere along the way, they'd stopped talking about milk coffee. Though what they could be talking about, Yoko has no clue-She was never good with that kind of thing, or anything out of a textbook, for that matter. But whether she fully understands Seta's sentiment or not, something about it strikes her as being true, and she feels something there-Some kind of moment, profound and endearing, between them, and if she could only reach out, grab her hand-

But then the moment is gone, when Seta stands and grabs her bag and her milk coffee.

"Sorry." she says quietly, checking her watch again. "I need to clean the house. In case my parents come home. I apologize for having you come out so far...But I really need to go." Yoko's eyes widen slightly, and her heart clenches-She wants to tell her _no please stay _but the words don't come out-only painful, choking, desperate silence.

"O-oh! Haha, no-Dude-Don't worry about it! I - Haha, I live around here anyway-" She doesn't. "-So don't even worry about it!" Wink. "You...Um. This..." She sits there for a moment, scratching at the back of her head, trying to find the words she's looking for. _Just say it, damn it. Who cares what-Just say somethi-_

"I had fun." Sou says so abruptly and quietly that it snaps Yoko right out of her thoughts. The girl has pulled her bag strap onto one shoulder and is gripping it a bit tightly. She's looking down, not at Yoko, and this is the first bit of hesitation the strawberry-brunette has seen out of her. The silverette seems to be measuring her words-as if too much or too little will ruin their little friendship cake they've got baking-and then nods a little, trying to reassure herself. "It was...Enjoyable. Let's do it again. Sometime." With that, she doesn't even pause to give Yoko a moment to respond-doesn't even look at her-Just rushes out the door with a speed borne of nervousness. By the time Yoko recovers from her little daze, the chime of the bell over the little cafe's door has stopped, and the silverette is gone.

Yoko goes back to her coffee, face burning now-_You-You really had fun? You want to do it again? Seriously?-_Looking down into the bottle, biting her lip, insides fluttering with pent up excitement-_Don't squeal like a girl, dude, seriously, you're not in your room so don't you even dare-_

She looks down at her coffee. Brings the bottle up to her lips. Takes a long, slow drink, wondering if Seta tastes like-_Dude don't go there, don't you dare, bro, bro, seriously that's so g-_Coffee, bitter and strange but somehow delicious in its own way, addictive and wonderful. _Unique._

Yoko smiles into her drink, deciding that she's got a new favorite beverage.

oOo

She wakes up ungodly early, something she never would have felt capable of. Hell, she can barely be urged to wake up for school, and this is her _break_.

Part of her brain, the part that wants to sleep and play video games forever-about 97 percent, give or take-tells her _this chick better fucking be worth it._

_ She is. She really fucking is._

Since her parents are handling the move and everything, that means her dad isn't working today. She figures he won't miss the mini-cooler he uses to take his lunch to work-a small, fabric-based bag that Yoko stuffs halfway full with ice. She figures the ice will keep a good majority of the day, which works well for her intended purpose.

She ignores the looks her mom and dad give her as she scooches around them, their confusion at her leaving this early-let alone _even being awake-_Evident on their faces. She ignores them, just grins sheepishly at them and tells them, half-heartedly, that she loves them, and sneaks out with the cooler as discreetly as possible in case her father minds.

Yoko refuses to be stopped; she has important things to do.

oOo

When she arrives at the arcade hours later, it's earlier than the other two times she showed up, and Seta isn't on the DDR machine.

Yoko looks around, then figures she just hasn't arrived yet-It is pretty early, after all. At first, she just sits down with her cooler to watch and wait for Seta. But she feels ridiculous, like some lovestruck girl waiting for her boyfriend. The local boy's start giving her weird looks like she doesn't belong, and really, looking like a girl that isn't here to play games, she doesn't. That makes her anxious, like she's intruding in a territory that doesn't take well to outsiders. So she stands up, slings the cooler strap onto her shoulder, and sets to work distracting herself with some Chip Zanuff ass-kicking action.

It isn't long before she loses herself in the game, which she's prone to do. There's this connection, between her and Chip-Like, if _she _were in a fighting game, her palette swap would totally be Chip's color scheme. That's what she believes, anyway, because she adores Guilty Gear, and Ishiwatari makes some _good_ characters. Either way, she's completely into the game, saying _yeah yeah one more minute, bro _to more people than she would ever like to count. Eventually she's vaguely aware of someone tapping on her shoulder.

"Y-yeah, one minute. Just-Put a quarter on the dash, bro, I'm almost done."

There's a pause, some shifting, and then there's _that tapping _again. Yoko rolls her eyes in frustration, huffing. _Dude, seriously? Take the hint, man._

"Look, bro, I told you, put a quarter on the dash, for crying out-"

"I'm...Sorry, I just wasn't aware of any protocol for 'do you want to hang out'." Yoko's eyes widen, and she spins around, controls and game immediately forgotten. Because there's Sou, and she looks slightly disappointed, slightly amused. Her eyes are flickering between Yoko and the cooler that had swung around Yoko in her momentum to hit her in the leg; she's aware that it's cold and a little damp, and she's curious as to why the brunette is carrying it around.

"D-duuuude, you scared the hell out of me!" Yoko laughs, wondering how long she's been lost in that game. _Oh nice job, bro. You really botched _that _plan up_. She then comes to a realization: _Oh shit did she just say she wants to hang out?_ _Or_ _am I hearing things? _"You...Wanna hang out?" Yoko's voice catches in her throat involuntarily, eyes widening comically. _Say yes say yes holy crap say yes._

"Well. I was hoping to. If you weren't busy." Sou looks at her, and cocks her head slightly. "I thought we could go get some coffee again. Oh...But if we do that, there won't be much time to hang out. Though. If you're busy..." Sou lets her voice run off, almost like... _Is she scared I'll say no? Or...Is she nervous I'll say yes?_

"Um, actually," Yoko swears she sees a flicker of regret and maybe even the slightest bit relief on Sou's face, but it's so well-masked by that calm demeanor so quickly that she wonders if she imagined it. Yoko bends down, and sets the cooler on the ground. Opening it, she shows the mouth to Sou with a sheepish grin. Two bottles of perfectly chilled, oddly bitter milk coffee. Sou's eyebrows raise, and her cheeks take on a very faint pink tinge. "Ta-daaaah~!" _Wink._

"You...Didn't have to do that." Sou says softly, obviously trying to hold back the smile that threatens to pull at her lips.

"Dude, it's totally no problem! Remember, I live down that way." Yoko grins, even though she's honestly lying through her teeth. _It's for the greater good; sooooooo worth it._ "I mean, haha, I kind of meant to be all heroic and stuff-Show up when you're all tired and thirsty from dancing and stuff, ready for a long freaking bus ride, then, ta-daaaah! Coffee! Hanamura Yoko the hero, to the rescue, and then you get to stay later since ya don't gotta travel so long!" Sou's eyes widen, and now she is smiling, too big to hide even if she wants to, and her face is pink.

"You...That's...Really too kind for words." Sou says softly. "Thank you. Hanamura. I...almost feel guilty for ruining your plan. I just got here-" Yoko realizes then, glancing at the time, she really hasn't been playing games _that _long. "-and I thought it would be more fun to hang out a little, instead."

Yoko is stunned by this. The only thing she'd known so far about Seta is that she enjoys DDR a lot. Yet, she's been picked over that. _Dude. Duuuude. SCORE. _She clears her throat, stands up, and re-shoulders the cooler, grinning. "Well!" Yoko grins, hands on her hips, excitement in her voice. She tries to quell the giddy in her voice in return for a more suave approach. It doesn't work, and she still sounds extremely excited. "Since we're here, and we've got coffee-How about we go hang out, after all?"

Sou smiles in response and nods, not trying to hide her happiness by this point. Yoko can't help but give her a big, wide grin in return.

oOo

They end up at a music store, more out of Yosuke's recommendation than anything-

"Oh man, that's a good store; they have some great indie bands you won't find anywhere else, if you know how to look. You ever been there, Seta?"

"No, I haven't."

"Dude, we totally have to go, then!"

-and Sou really doesn't seem to mind being pulled around in the slightest. In fact, every time Yoko ushers her over to listen to the headsets out for demo purposes, or to show her a CD _she totally needs to check out because holy crap these guys know how to rock_, she almost seems to relish it with a little smile, like she really enjoys being out with Yoko. Yoko, for her part in the dragging around of one musically inept beauty- _Dude, you've never listened to Renjirou? _No, but I see his ads all over television now. _Oh maaan, he's like, the new hit thing! He's making it big fast, and he's super handsome, too! You _have _to let me show you-_seems overjoyed to share her vast love of music with Seta.

Eventually, the sun starts to go down and neither of them have eaten in a while-Yoko not at all because of her excitement to get out and get the coffee-and they sit down to get dinner and properly enjoy their milk coffee.

If Yoko knows her good music, then Seta knows her good food, and so she shows Yoko a nice restaurant downtown specializing in shabu shabu. The food is hot and delicious, and Yoko feels it warm her body, really satisfying her hunger, while she washes it down with the odd but addictive, flavorful coffee. Sou, herself, smiles much more than Yoko would have ever expected out of her, but there's still a calm, guarded air to her that keeps her from truly relaxing-Yoko can definitely tell.

"So...Um, about..." Yoko wants to ask; can't decide if that would be rude or not, and worries that it might not be her business. She doesn't want to barge into the business of someone that might be the only friend she's _really_ wanted to be around in...Well, forever. Sou looks up around a mouthful of food, just a small dot of dipping sauce just above her upper lip. She's waiting for Yoko to speak, but Yoko's so jolted by the adorable deviation from her normally dignified look that she laughs, train of thought interrupted entirely.

"You've got a little something-" Yoko motions, "right there. Here, let me-" and she grabs a napkin, reaches forward, and wipes it off. There's a split second where her thumb brushes against Sou's lips, ever so slightly-but the result is electric. Yoko pulls her hand away as if burned, blushing like-Well, a school girl-but if Sou notices anything or is offended, she doesn't show or say it at all.

Dinner goes very smoothly after that, and Yoko hopes she's not being too obvious the whole night when she keeps that hand-the one that touched _those lips-_close to her own mouth all night, so much so that Sou even asks at one point if she burned herself on the food. _Dude, and you call yourself straight?-_But the entire thing is enjoyable; incredible, even, and there's even a little friendly fight at the end where Yoko tries to pay for her part of the dinner, but Sou refuses, forcing Yoko to let _her_ pay for the whole thing. Yoko can't help but think it feels almost like a _date_ by that point, even if that's far from the truth.

They start to walk around after, and it's getting late by that point, which Sou seems to notice because she keeps checking the time, as if she needs to get home. But eventually, Yoko notices, her watch disappears from her wrist, probably into her bag, and Yoko can't help but smile to know that it doesn't matter by that point. Sou would rather be with her.

The neighborhood becomes familiar to Yoko eventually-"Hey, my house is near here!"-and Sou looks over, giving her _a look. _Yoko blinks, then cocks her head.

"What's up, Seta?"

"...I thought you lived up more towards northern Tokyo. Near the cafe." Yoko pauses, then gives her a sheepish grin.

"Hehe. O-oh, I did say that, didn't I?"

"..."

"Busted, haha. You caught me-I just really wanted to see you smile and hang out and stuff...Hehe..." Yoko wonders if Sou's mad at her at that point, because she looks straight ahead for a while, stone-faced and silent. She stays like this for a while, just the two of them walking in silence, and Yoko's sure she screwed up, until they arrive to where Yoko lives, at which point Seta looks at her.

"...Thanks. For that. It. It's really one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me." she tells her quietly, and Yoko knows she was just trying to think of how to thank her. Yoko can't help but beam at that, grinning ear to ear as she practically lights up the night with her glow. Sou can't help but mirror the look to the best of her ability-Yoko wonders if Sou even _can _smile that wide-and then looks around.

"...You really don't live that far from me." she comments quietly, still smiling, and then looks back at her. "It's almost a shame." Yoko blinks, eyebrows raising. Sou then notices her wording and corrects herself quickly. "...That we never met earlier, I mean. We live so close, but never really ran into one another. I...It really wouldn't...Be too much of an issue to come down this way more often..." She pauses, eyes flickering away for a second, then right back. "Or for you to come down my way sometime."

_Oh man._

_ Is she._

_ She's totally asking to hang out more._

_ Shit, bro, she wants to see you more._

_ Oh god oh yes oh hell yes. Say something, anything-_

"So." Sou notices her long pause, and beats her to the punch again. "Could I. See you again sometime?" Yoko nods fiercely, eyes wide, blushing so much _it hurts because YES YES YES._

"YES!" she cries so loudly, so excitedly, that she blushes in embarrassment and grins, covering her mouth. "Uh. Hell yes. Um! What. What are you doing...Tomorrow?" she asks nervously, wondering _is that too soon? Isn't there like, some two week rule, or...Or is that with phone calls or something, or...God, stop it, Yoko, you're not _really _dating her or...Or anything. She's...She's a girl, remember?_

Sou smiles. Pulls out a pad of paper from her bag. Writes something on it, and holds it out to Yoko. The girl takes it. Unfolds it. Grins ear to ear because _she just gave me her PHONE NUMBER, holy shit!_

"Nothing in particular. I'll keep it open for you. Call me, then, will you?" With that, Sou smiles and turns around, loose, low-tied ponytail swinging behind her, back and forth, as she walks off. Yoko holds the phone number close to her like gold, and grins like an idiot all the way back into her room, practically dancing past her confused parents, who tell her they left her some dinner if she's hungry.

She's so excited she doesn't even see or remember the packed boxes stacked up to the ceiling like ominous dark towers all throughout the house. Just walks past them, to her room, and closes the door behind her, leaping onto her bed.

She's texting Sou before she even hits the covers.

oOoOoOo

MM: _On the subject of the chosen protagonist name-With the fan base so genuinely in love with the names we've gotten from the manga and anime (myself included), I definitely wanted to go with a variation of Seta Souji or Narukami Yu. My final choices came down to Narukami Yue and Seta Sou (Sou-chan). However, there's a subtle difference between the two characters in personality that distinguishes them. Where Yu is more open to emotions and being playful, not to mention the speed at which he lets people into his life, Souji is more calm and guarded, and, in a way, more relaxed and tactful (I think of how Yu handled Kanji in the camp out scene, which was, really, pretty mean and more on Yosuke's level). In the end, I went with Sou because of this characterization difference and for what I intend to do. Plus, there's the added differentiation of saying "Yoko and Sou" versus "Yoko and Yue", the latter of which is too easy to skim over and mistake who is talking at times. Just a little insight on that. See you all next time! _


	3. Chapter 3

_MM: This chapter's a little short, and I'd intended it to be longer, but this just seems like a good place to stop off for now. So I'll try to get another chapter up soon. I also have another set of sprites up for you guys, for looks at the upcoming characters. Male!Rise in particular looks especially different from normal, since she would have to look the part of a male Japanese idol. For fem!Kanji, I borrowed a design from the badbadbathhouse, one that I'm particularly fond of._

i18 . photobucket . com / albums / b111 / zena1293 / gsssss . png

oOoOoOo

Days, to Yoko, seem to pass by like floating through a dream. Time has little meaning, no basis; there is When I'm With Sou and When I'm Not. Her parents express much curiosity over her new behavior, because now she's up every morning with the sun. However, Yoko pays their curiosity (and on some level, concern) no heed; by the time she's dressed and ready to leave, Sou's already texting her, asking where she wants to meet up. Gone are the mornings of sleeping the day away because no one cares if she's awake or even alive anyway.

If it weren't for the early morning texts from Sou, laced with clear excitement Yoko now finds extremely endearing, anyone else might be fooled by her otherwise stony demeanor. Her calm attitude suggests disinterest, but her actions and ever-attentive eyes tell Yoko otherwise. Yoko sees past the frozen personality to the spring- sees the first signs of melting ice in every smile, and hears the first chirps of spring-hatched birds in every laugh. She feels giddy and excited and _happy, _and she can't help herself.

_I really like Sou._

_ I don't know her well, but she's different than other people._

_ I'm so...So happy...To have a friend._

Maybe she's getting too attached too quickly, because she's Hanamura Yoko, who, by definition, clings to the closest bit of kindness like a lifeline. She knows that; she's never denied it.

But she's also never admitted it out loud.

"You should see my parents." Yoko laughs quietly as she and Sou share a moment over frozen yogurt. She dips her spoon into what looks more like a six inch mountain of toppings and syrups than strawberry frozen yogurt. She takes a bite, and licks a creamy tongue over glossy pink lips. "They're used to all but begging that I get up before the sun goes down, haha! I bet your parents are the same way; you don't seem like you show interest in very much, very often. 'Cept, like, DDR and stuff." Sou looks up at this, a small spoonful of vanilla, comparatively plain and nondescript compared to Yoko's Topping Mountain, and practically _nibbles- If there's a way to nibble frogurt, Sou's found it _Yoko thinks in amusement- the frozen yogurt silently. She buries the tip of the spoon back into the frozen treat, then shakes her head.

"They don't know I'm gone." she says flatly. Yoko raises her eyebrows; whistles appreciatively, and winks with a little knowing grin.

"Ohhh, a bit of a rebel, huh Seta-chan?" Yoko grins mischievously. "Never would have expected it from you. I mean, hell, you could be really intimidating if you wanted to, more than most _guys_, but still. So, what, you grounded, or-"

"No, nothing like that." Sou objects quickly, and shakes her head. Her expression seems to frost over; spring is reversing, it seems, and Yoko kicks herself. _You and your mouth, Hanamura! Holy crap!_

She doesn't press when Sou doesn't elaborate; lets it drop somewhat hesitantly, because she would love to understand the Enigma of Seta Sou. But she knows there are a lot of barriers keeping her out no matter how much she wants in.

_I just want to _know _you._

"...Either way, picturing you as a punk chick going around with a shinai kicking ass and intimidating everyone is pretty hilarious." Yoko chuckles hollowly, trying to ease the sudden tension. Her grin is stretched just a little too wide, eyebrows quirked upwards just enough to suggest her inner worry. Despite the forced effort, however, it seems to work. Sou's shoulders relax slightly, and she returns the smile a little bit, going back to her vanilla. "I mean, really, think about it. Braids. Long skirts. Shinai over one shoulder. Rough, punk demeanor- I think I'd pay to see that." Yoko laughs, a little less forced now as she sees Sou relax in turn, and now Sou's laughing, too, just a little, and to Yoko, it's the greatest sound in the world.

She's a fool to think it can last forever, though.

oOoOoOo

She's known it's been on its way; her parents remind her every time she walks through the door, either via words or from their continuous acts of making sure they've packed every last thing and cleaned every last corner of the house.

It's through sheer stubborn force of will that Yoko's put off thinking about the impending move, because _I just made a friend-Why are you taking that from me?_

But when she walks up to the house, two nights before **the day** (_God, when did it get so close?_) the sight of the moving van being packed up hits her like a ton of bricks. She stands there, stone cold and pained, and her entire body seizes, clenches; she feels like she's going to retch up the dinner she just ate with Sou-

_Bathroom. I-I need a bathroom. I'm going to-_

"Yoko? Yoko what's wrong?" She doesn't answer; just pushes past her mother as she shoves her way into the bathroom, and collapses onto her knees in front of the toilet. She doesn't retch; just grips the porcelain frame like she's about to, and makes a shuddering motion as tears bubble their way up to the surface. The first sob breaks through like a boulder through a dam, and then she's sobbing, gripping her sides as she curls in on herself.

_No. I can't-Not now. I just._

_ I'm going to be lonely again._

_ Sou._

_ I._

_ I don't want to leave, Sou._

_ God, it's not fair. I._

She's suddenly aware of the weight of her phone in her pocket, so heavy at this moment that it feels like she's being dragged to the floor-_Or is that from emotions?-_and she grabs the thing out.

_Sou. I. Please, Sou. It's pathetic, but-I'm really scared-_

Mere seconds later, there's a message on the screen in black pixels that, through the tears, look like cracks, thick and black, ready to swallow Yoko up. She rubs her eyes, red, swollen, and painful.

**Can you come over? I need you here. I can't stand to be alone right now.**

To Yoko's surprise, it's not her message to Sou that she's seeing.

It's Sou's message to her.

oOoOoOo

The bike ride, even in the dark, isn't a bad one. She would have been there sooner, too, if her parents hadn't nagged her about leaving this late; however, her puffy red eyes and serious, _determined _demeanor won her argument for her. Yoko's never been determined or serious about anything.

She skids to a hault in front of the address Sou gave her during an address exchange they did just a few days ago. She has to double check a few times, because the place doesn't really look _lived-in. _There are no cars, the lights are all off, and Yoko can't find anything that gives the place a personal touch; even the outer walls, a drab, cold, concrete grey, make it look run-down despite the pristine condition of the, admittedly, very nice house. Yoko rolls her bike up the driveway, not even mottled by oil or cracks, and sets up the bike stand; checks the mirrored surface of her phone to make sure any signs of crying have gone away.

When she looks up, she sees the curtains of one of the second floor windows shift a bit, like someone had just been looking through them, and she nods to herself decisively; walks up to the door. She practices in her head a few times, knowing what needs to be discussed, once she makes sure Sou is alright.

_Seta-No, Sou. I have something I need to talk to you about._

The door almost opens even before she starts knocking, and the brief second where Yoko sees the unguarded expression on Sou's face is enough to knock the wind out of her.

For a moment, she sees the scrunched up, reddened, _teary_ look of pain on those features. But then it's gone, and Sou is looking at her levelly, eyes just a little more red than normal, and she lets Yoko in without a word.

The house is cold, quiet, dark. Sou starts turning on the lights, but even then it doesn't chase away the shadows that linger all around them. It doesn't take a trip through the place to realize it's empty. Everything is too clean, too pristine, too...Well. Like something Yoko once saw out of a magazine. Too _perfect._ Every piece of furniture is in perfect condition, no dust or dirt. The carpet looks new, as do the tiles in the entry way, and Yoko feels guilty treading over it with her shoes before she takes them off, leaving the dark, dirty footprints of existence.

Yoko has a sinking suspicion that if she took a ruler to the room, nothing would be out of place even by a millimeter. It's a sad, disturbing thought on some level, especially when she tries but can't seem to sight any family photos.

Words from earlier in the week, like tossing a heavy, black stone into a lake, ripple through her head.

_In case my parents come home._

"They work a lot." Sou says very quietly, in answer to a question that had been wiggling against the back of Yoko's mind. Yoko turns to her, and now the guarded look has slipped somewhat, leaving slight insecurity. Sou's in a turtleneck that's too big, hanging off her shoulders like off a wire hanger. Yoko sees the familiar movement that says Sou's chewing idly at the inside of her cheek, and she seems to be fighting the urge to wrap her arms around herself-One arm hangs idly by her side while the other grips it loosely. She gives off the appearance of a child, scared and-

_I'm not the only one who's been feeling lonely._

_ God. I'm...I'm such a spoiled brat..._

Her arms are around Sou before she even thinks about it-Not like she wouldn't have done it anyway, though-and Sou's head comes down, buries itself into her shoulder, then her neck, and there are a few sniffles. Soon, Sou's shoulders start to shake.

"I...I'm sorry...I..." Sou's voice cracks just a little-Just enough to make Yoko's heart crack with it. "I was so happy when I came home tonight...When I come home every night from...From spending time with you...I just..." She shakes her head. "You know...I talk to my parents in notes, sometimes." Yoko's hands shake at this-_What-What kind of parents-_and her grip around Sou tightens. "I...Told them...Told them all about you...The first friend I've ever really allowed myself...We...We move around a lot, and. I just. I _really like you.._" The words stop for a while. There's more shaking, but no crying, Yoko notes; Sou isn't allowing herself to cry. Maybe she feels weak when she does. Either way, Yoko's there, listening, rubbing her back tenderly, her own eyes tearing up-_I'll cry for both of us, Sou_.

Eventually, though, Sou starts taking breaths, big gulps of air, like there's trouble in getting it down. "...They. The notes. They...They're unopened...completely untouched, and...I just..."

Yoko hears the unsaid words stuck in her throat. Understands them because they're her own.

_I don't want to feel so alone all the time._

_ But I don't. When I'm with you._

"Will you..." There's a soft sob stuck in her throat, but Sou swallows it, like a cherry pit, large and dark and _uncomfortable_; a pained pressure all the way down. Yoko hugs her tighter, runs her fingers through those thick strands of silver, running like molten through her fingers. "Can you...Stay? For a while...I don't...I don't want to be alone..." Yoko closes her eyes.

She fears the upcoming days. They're uncertain and dark, and there's going to be pain. She loathes that she'll be the one to bring the most pain to Sou, and she fears the pain she knows she'll feel, leaving everything behind for some small town no one has ever heard of in the middle of the countryside.

But for now, this is all she can do.

"Of course, Sou."

_I would stay forever, if I could._


End file.
